Cure
by UnderdogHero
Summary: Kirina gets sick. It's about as bad as you'd think.


A/N: Getting sick recently inspired me to finally finish this fic I've had lying around since August 2018. Kirina seems like the kind of kid to not get sick often because he's relatively healthy.

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Kirina woke up unable to breathe.

He swallowed dryly and sniffled, eyes still heavy with sleep. Cracking them open slightly, he could see sunlight streaming in through from between the curtains, stinging his eyes. He squeezed them shut again, breathed in deeply - as much as he could at least - before raising himself up on his elbows and looking around.

He spotted his phone on the floor, still on the charger like he left it last night. His joints ached and a chill ran through his entire body as he reached down and unplugged it, yanking the charger out of the wall. Hitting the home button, he saw that the time read five-o'-three in the morning, much earlier than he'd normally be up.

With a groan, Kirina laid back down, pulling the blanket over his head and curling into himself. His head felt hot, but the chill was still there, and his throat hurt terribly.

This could only be one thing.

–

"It's bad."

"It is bad."

Kirina groaned and flopped back into his pillows, running a hand through his sweat-soaked hair. Michinari huffed and stared at the unbelievable temperature his teammate was currently at, while trying not to remember the struggle of getting Kirina to actually use the thermometer.

("I'm not putting that in my mouth."

"It's new! You literally just saw me open it!"

"That doesn't matter in this house!"

He wouldn't admit out loud that the fear was completely founded.)

"I'll ask Yone for some medicine, just stay in bed for now."

"No need to tell me twice." Kirina mumbled. He watched as Michinari walked out the room and saw their teammate's concerned faces peeking in.

He did not envy the person that had to tell them he was sick.

–

Kirina smelled the medicine before he saw it, before Norika walked in, really. It was some mix of burned grass, salt water, and lemon.

The cup in front of him made his eyes sting. He decided it was not a good combination.

"Kozoumaru said we should try cough syrup, since it's usually the go-to cure, but don't you think homemade medicine has a better effect?"

He really hoped she wouldn't add something like "And it tastes like home too!" because he did not need that image right now.

"Yeah, uh, thanks Norika." He said hesitantly, his voice strained and nasally from the congestion. "Hey, I'm almost out of tissues, think you can grab me another box from under the desk?"

The girl nodded eagerly, turning away right as Mansaku walked in. The capped boy had the honor of seeing Kirina quickly dump the contents of the cup straight into the trash – the sound muffled by the mass of tissues inside – and take a sip from the cup of water on the floor next to his bed, swallowing when Norika turned around again. He pulled a face to make it seem like he'd drank the "medicine", taking the box of tissues she offered him.

"So, is it working?" She asked, smiling upon seeing empty cup.

"Yup, feeling loads better now!" He lied, returning her smile with his own. His voice didn't sound any different though, but he hoped she would ignore that little detail. "But you know, I heard it's good to alternate medicine when you're sick so they stay effective, so how about I try the one Yone bought us next?"

Norika looked a little disappointed at that, but she nodded, taking the cup.

"Too much medicine is also bad, so how about we see how he's feeling in a few hours and go from there?" Mansaku chuckled, glancing at Kirina's relieved expression.

–

Michinari didn't look up immediately when the door to the room slammed open and shut, not wanting to lose his train of thought while working on their current writing assignment. He figured it was just Goujin, steaming after another heated discussion with Kozoumaru.

He heard something hit the floor with a fwump, and there was shuffling, then a sigh. Finally curious, he turned around–

"Hiura?" He asked, not quite understanding why his sick teammate was currently lying in a pile of blankets on his and Goujin's room floor. He could hear screaming from the other side of the wall, and he looked worriedly at the door. Kirina sighed again, digging his way out and giving his captain a tired look.

"Norika and Okuiri came into my room arguing over what's better, her seaweed cough syrup or his 'traditional island cure'. Then Asuto and Mansaku showed up because they heard yelling and they tried to stop them from arguing but then they started taking sides, which caught everyone's attention. So I grabbed my pillows and blankets and stole Hiyori's blankets and came here because you're quiet and the only one not making a big deal of this and I just really want to sleep right now."

He finished the rant with a long intake of breath before his face met his pillow again, and he was out.

Michinari stared at him for a second longer before shaking his head, stepping around the boy so he could lock the door. He'd have a talk with the others later, but right now he felt like he needed some peace and quiet.

–

"You have got to be kidding me."

Kirina glared at the bar being dangled in front of him, then at Mansaku's grin. Asuto was giving him an apologetic smile.

"Look, I read somewhere that cocoa helps suppress coughs or something. I know you hate it, but isn't it better than risking Norika slipping you more of her 'homemade' cough syrup?"

At the reminder of the medicine he'd had a few close calls with, Kirina weighed his options. On one hand, he really didn't feel like dying today, especially to Norika's nasty medicine. On the other hand, he really didn't like chocolate. Fourteen years of people making jokes about his birthday being on Valentines and/or thinking that was a reason for him to like the stuff was more than enough to drive him over the edge and ban it from his immediate vicinity, something both Mansaku and Asuto knew.

But he didn't want to die. So.

"I hate you right now." He said, grabbing the bar and ripping the paper wrapper off. He heard a cracking sound next to him and saw Asuto pouring him a cup of water, something he was thankful for because _he was really going to need it._

–

"I said you'd all get sick."

Kirina ignored the collective groan as he made his rounds, his tiny smile hidden by the protective mask that only a handful of the others had thought to wear while visiting him.

"We were only trying to help!" Norika whined, before covering her face with a tissue as she collapsed into a fit of coughs. Kirina absently reached out and rubbed her back while balancing the tray in his other hand, careful not to spill any of the drinks. He waited until she calmed down and let out a tired "thank you" before moving on.

"Okay that's not fair, how come Norika gets a back rub while all I get is a bottle of Tylenol thrown at my face." Mansaku complained, pointing an accusatory finger at Kirina. He gave the capped boy a flat look.

"Maybe because she wasn't the one that made me eat all that chocolate." He deadpanned.

"She made you that gross medicine!"

"But did she pin me down and force it down my throat."

Kirina briefly thought he was lucky Norika had passed out by that point, or there would have been a lot of questions. Mansaku, for his part, at least looked a little embarrassed. Kirina smiled sweetly, pulling a bottle of NyQuil out of his pocket and swishing it around.

"... I'm sorry I'll never do it again. Please give me the cure to this disease."

Kirina rolled his eyes, tossing the bottle to him and turning away. He pulled a blanket over a sleeping Hiyori and removed Hiro's glasses, placing them on the table next to the armchair he slept in.

"Everyone asleep?" He turned to see Asuto peeking in through the doorway, and Kozoumaru passed by, soccer ball under one arm. He spared Kirina a glance before continuing towards the door.

"Almost." He replied, watching as Mansaku began nodding off. He took the boy's hat - which he insisted on wearing even though it kept sliding off - and placed it on his lap, brushing his hair out of his face before picking his blanked up off the floor and wrapping it around his shoulders.

There was a rattling sound, and he sighed, grabbing his jacket and drawstring bag off the counter before quietly making his way out the building.

There would be hell to pay when everyone woke up and realized he'd ditched them all to play by the riverbank, but he could burn that bridge when he got to it.

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A/N: I'm one of those people that doesn't get sick often but hates it when I do, because it's terrible. And winter means waking up every morning with a sore throat and being unable to tell if you're actually sick.


End file.
